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Flooring choice & exterior rigid foam

bjkmi | Posted in General Questions on

I’m currently converting a 3 season to a 4 season porch in climate zone 5.  The porch sits about 3 foot off the ground. Through all the awesome information on this site I’ve decided to add exterior insulation. This will be done with Zip R-9 on the exterior walls.  For the floor the plan is to add 2″ of rigid foam under the joists.  From what I’ve gathered this approach would require drying to the inside.  This is where my question comes in, specifically regarding flooring. My goal is to use Cortec flooring (floating, not glued).  I’d like to place this directly over the Advantech subfloor.  My specific concern is the Coretec flooring won’t allow for drying to the inside. I called the manufacturer and they do not have any perm ratings on the product.  Anyone have experience with a similar setup? Should I be concerned?

There is obviously more going into the walls and floors than described, but lets assume good air sealing and proper insulation in the walls and joist.  I can provide more details if commenters want or it helps answer the question.  Long time follower, first time ever asking a question.

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #1

    bjkmi,

    You may find this article and subsequent comments helpful: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/insulating-a-wood-framed-floor-assembly

  2. GBA Editor
    Brian Pontolilo | | #2

    Hi BJKMI.

    You are right that it is not ideal when an assembly cannot dry one way or the other. But, drying is only a problem if an assembly gets wet. In other words, if all of your exterior water management details are working and the assembly is well air sealed, you likely won't have any problems. Consider using EPS for the rigid foam (the most vapor-open option) and the assembly will have some outward drying potential. And check out the article and comments that Malcolm suggests above, if you haven't already.

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